Bond has said the damage done by cuts can still be mitigated.
International development organisations across the UK “have been left reeling” by Sir Keir Starmer’s overseas aid cuts, NGO representatives have said.
Bond, the UK network for organisations working in international development, published a blog titled ‘Four ways the government can manage the planned UK aid cuts to limit their damage’, arguing the damage done by Labour’s decision can be managed.
The Prime Minister announced to Parliament on February 25 that the UK’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget will be “temporarily” cut from 0.5% to 0.3% of gross national income (GNI) by 2027, a reduction of around £6billion.
In announcing these cuts, the Prime Minister said this was “a very difficult decision, and not one that I wanted or am happy to take”, with the new Development Minister, Baroness Chapman, adding the government “do not wish to turn away from our global commitments to development”.
Bond said: “At a time of acute humanitarian, development and climate financing need, this decision is a dereliction of responsibility and will affect many millions of people in low- and middle-income countries, with potentially more than 600,000 lives at risk.
“It also breaks Labour’s manifesto pledge to rebuild the UK’s reputation on international development, which was so deeply damaged by the previous government’s decision to cut the ODA budget from the legally mandated level of 0.7% of GNI, with disastrous consequences. Bond and our members have therefore been calling for this decision to be reversed.
“However, we are aware that the government is moving ahead with plans to introduce these cuts. In taking these steps the government therefore faces another decision – whether to pursue an approach that limits damage to lives, livelihoods and the UK’s development ambitions as much as possible, or to once again puts these considerations aside.”
The network said there are four steps the government can take to prevent the worst damage from their decision to cut aid.
Bond said the government should maintain the UK ODA budget at 0.5% of GNI in both 2025 and 2026, and take more ambitious action to reduce the use of the ODA budget to support refugees in the UK, returning the savings made to the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).
They also called for the government to pause capital contributions to British International Investment (BII), allowing this funding to be reallocated towards protecting programmes supporting humanitarian support and basic services in lower income and fragile countries.
Finally, Bond said the government must pause capital contributions to British International Investment (BII), allowing this funding to be reallocated towards protecting programmes supporting humanitarian support and basic services in lower income and fragile countries.
They added: “The government has an opportunity to avoid truly catastrophic cuts to the UK’s ODA programme as it moves towards reducing the ODA budget to 0.3% of GNI by 2027.
“If the Prime Minister is sincere in his concern for the future of UK ODA and the UK’s global leadership, he must do all he can to limit the impacts of these cuts.”
